One Sneeze Does Not a Cold Make
by la-hija-de-Dios
Summary: When Demyx gets sick, it doesn't take long for the other Organization members to get annoyed. It seems he's always ruining something!
1. Chapter 1

_In case you want to know, this is not a Belle X Demyx story. I came up with this idea last year while talking with Storyoflaughter and Dragonriderjedi. I wrote it down but lost the notebook. I finally decided to try to write it again. I'm not sure when I'll post the next chapter, but I hope it will be soon. Oh, and I will be back soon with a new chapter for_ But the Way of the Ungodly Shall Perish! _:)_ Soli Deo gloria! _:D_

* * *

Demyx shivered and took another shuddering step. Why, oh, why had he ever come to this world? Surely Saïx could have picked another person for a reconnaissance mission in this new world! The snow began piling up around Demyx's feet. He had to keep moving! Because his element was water, he was especially susceptible to extreme heat and frigid temperatures. The snowflakes, beautiful yet deadly, drifted by lazily. He sighed. If only he could be relaxing instead of trekking through this terrible cold. He pushed his tawny bangs out of his face. He had to get to a shelter soon! Otherwise, he might not live to see morning. _Wait, am I technically living anyway? I am a Nobody, after all. No! We Nobodies do_ too _have hearts. I . . . have a heart._ He shook his head to dispel any depressing thoughts and carried on. He could no longer feel his toes. It was as though the water inside of him had begun to freeze. Apparently, the Beast's Castle could be a dangerous world in the winter.

Demyx leaned against a tree to regain his breath and balance. Unfortunately, the branch on which his hand had come to rest could not hold the weight. As it broke, he collapsed to the ground. A strangled cry of surprise broke through his frozen lips. He struggled into a seated position and gasped. _I must've landed on a pointy rock or something,_ he mused, feeling pain on his right side. Using the tree as support, he managed to stand. He had taken two steps when he heard a sweet, feminine voice talking.

"Sir, are you all right?" When he did not respond, she continued. "It's freezing out here. Do you need any help?"

Demyx tilted his head to see a young woman a few feet behind him. He had not even noticed her approach. He made to speak, yet no words came out of his mouth. Finally, he mustered up his energy and nodded.

The lady's warm hazel eyes were filled with worry. She looked at the large, brown creature lying on the ground beside her. Blood seeped through the fur on his arm. "I need to get him inside. Can you follow me?" She tugged on his uninjured arm, trying to get him in her horse's saddle. She had to step around the bodies of slain wolves to do so.

 _Oh,_ Demyx thought numbly, _she's got a horse, too._ It seemed that his wits were leaving him. Although he willed his feet to move, they refused to do his bidding. He stumbled and fell. The last thing his foggy mind noticed was that the snow almost felt warm now, instead of the bitter cold it had been before.

~\•/~

Demyx felt like he was floating. He felt no pain nor was aware of the passage of time. For all he knew, that Sphinx thing in Agrabah could have been built while he was in this void. Then again, it might have been mere seconds. When he seemed to drift to the top, he noticed a comfortable warmth. The sound of a crackling fire drew him out of his unconsciousness. He pried open his eyes and let them adjust to the light. Once everything stopped being fuzzy, he realized he was lying on a green couch. On his right sat a fireplace with a fire blazing. He was covered in a red blanket. He sat up and felt a tingling in his side, probably as a result of the rock on which he had fallen earlier. He saw that the lady from before was caring for the creature.

"Maybe you should learn to control your temper!" she snapped. From the look in her eyes, she regretted it instantly. She tucked a lock of her hair behind her left ear and stated softly, "Now, hold still. This might sting a little." She pressed the damp rag she held to his arm.

The Beast (or, at least, who Demyx assumed was the Beast) jerked away and yowled in pain when it touched him. He managed to stop that reflex the next time.

The brunette murmured, "By the way, thank you . . . for saving my life."

The Beast's light blue eyes grew wide in surprise. He looked at her and said as gently as he could, "You're welcome."

The two stared at each other until the clock caught Demyx's eyes and exclaimed, "He's awake! That young man is awake!"

Immediately, Demyx found himself surrounded by a handful of talking objects. The young lady walked over to him. The Beast merely looked in his direction. "Um . . . Hi." Demyx smiled nervously. Why were they all looking at him?

"Hello" the woman greeted cheerfully. "My name is Belle. What's yours?"

"M-my name?" Demyx knew he was in trouble. He had been told multiple times to never be seen by anyone from the worlds they visited. He was in deep trouble when he got back to the Castle that Never Was. He took a deep, shuddering breath. "My name is Demyx."

Belle smiled. "I should introduce you to the others. The candelabra is Lumiere. The teapot is Mrs. Potts. Cogsworth is the clock. We call the footrest 'the Ottoman.' Babette is the feather duster. The Beast in is the chair." Each object (and the scowling Beast) nodded in greeting when she said his name.

"Uh, nice to meet you. . . How did I get here?" Demyx's last recollection was him falling in the snow.

Belle motioned to the candelabra. "Lumiere fetched the hat rack to help me get you in here. I was worried for you. After we got you onto the couch, I built a small fire and began to let it grow. Then I took care of the beast." She furrowed her eyebrows. "Why were you out there in the cold?"

Oh, no. Here it comes! I don't want to lie! Demyx cleared his throat. "I was exploring. I'd never been here before."

"Well, you're probably hungry. Do you want anything to eat?"

Half an hour later, Demyx stretched out on the sofa, half a cup of previously-steaming tea in his hands. It seemed to melt the ice he had felt inside him earlier. The occupants of this castle had been most kind, offering food and tea to him. He had eaten until he was full and made sure to thank them. Belle and the Beast had asked him questions about himself. So far, they thought him to be of a large family. They were under the impression that he lived with a few cousins (Zexion, Xion, Axel, Roxas, and Larxene) and with his uncles (everyone else). His secret was safe.

The Beast had retired for the evening. He was rather exhausted after all that had happened. Mrs. Potts, after putting her child to bed, had joined Belle in making sure Demyx was all taken care of.

Mrs. Potts asked, "Would you like to stay the night, dear? I don't think the weather will let up any time soon."

He shook his head. "I'm going to have to get back soon. Besides," he yawned, "I'm . . . not tired, anyway."

Mrs. Potts shared a look with Belle. "At least finish your tea. Would you like some more?" Her voice was soothing.

Demyx found himself relaxing. "If you don't mind." He realized that, for some reason, he felt safe in this castle.

The teapot returned moments later. Demyx thanked her and sipped his drink. He listened to Belle tell what had happened to make the servants into household objects. Mrs. Potts would interject with a comment or two. Eventually, he found that his head had become heavy. He propped it up with his free hand. His eyes then started to droop. Within moments, the Nobody fell asleep, lulled by the warmth of the fire, the tea in his belly, and the soft talking of those around him.

~\•/~

"The poor dear. He must've been awfully tired," Mrs. Potts noted.

Belle nodded. She took the mug of tea out of Demyx's hand and pulled the blanket over him. "We'll just let him rest."


	2. Chapter 2

_The disclaimer is in the first chapter. I hope you enjoy this!  
_ Soli Deo gloria! _:D_

* * *

When he first opened his eyes in the morning, Demyx was not quite certain where he was. As he gazed around the room, taking in the fireplace, chair, and ornate walls, however, he recalled the events of the night previous. He sat up rapidly. _Oh, my Kingdom Hearts! I fell asleep! Superior will have my hide for not RTCing!_ He stood up and promptly sneezed.

This sound drew the attention of the candelabra, Lumiere. _"Quoi, alors? Tu es malade?"_

Demyx merely stared at him like he had grown another head. "Uh, what did you say?"

"I said, 'What, then? Are you sick?' It must be because of last night. Please allow us to take care of you."

The Nobody shook his head. "No, I'll be fine. Thank you."

The candelabra shrugged in a way that only inanimate, yet somehow magical, objects can. "Very well. Are you su—"

At that moment in time, Mrs. Potts entered the room. "Was he awake, Lumiere? Oh, I see he was. How did you sleep, dear?"

It took Demyx a moment to realize that the teapot was talking to him and not Lumiere. "I slept just fine, ma'am. Thanks for worrying about me. I was just leaving."

Mrs. Potts gaped. "Well, at least let us offer you some breakfast first."

Demyx truly did not want to be a bother and opened his mouth to say so. Nevertheless, his stomach interrupted with a loud protest. Demyx thought wryly, _Eh, why not? What's a few more minutes when I'm going to be restricted to the castle for life anyway?_ "Thank you. Breakfast sounds lovely." He followed the two into the dining room and sat down in an empty seat at the rectangular table. He tried valiantly to not cough a few minutes later.

"What would you like to eat?" Lumiere asked him.

Demyx shrugged. "I—Um, what do you have?"

"We can make anything you like!"

Demyx ended up eating his fill of French pastries, baguettes with butter and grape jam on them, and an omelet. His pulpless orange juice, just the way he liked it, was the perfect complement to such a meal. He felt horrible making them do so much for just him. His guilt was alleviated when, moments before he finished, Belle joined him. Her meal consisted of blueberry pancakes, milk, bacon, and eggs.

"I'm not positive, but I believe the Beast will be down shortly." Belle's eyes danced. For some reason, she seemed to be rather excited to see this creature. From what Demyx had seen, despite the beast's temper, he seemed to hold some sort of affection toward Belle. Demyx really wanted to know how things played out. He had this sneaking suspicion that the two would end up together. If he ever escaped the Castle that Never Was, he would have to come back to this world.

Demyx ate his last bite and stood. After thanking his hostess and the household items, the latter of which not being something he had ever thought he would do, he bid them farewell. "I'm sorry, but I have to go back home. My . . . family is waiting for me."

The ottoman footrest-dog ran up and barked at him playfully. It wagged its little tassel-tail happily when Demyx petted it. After that, it stood on its hind legs and put its front legs on him.

The Nobody laughed. "Sorry, boy, but I do have to leave. I'll try to be back soon." He waved at the residents of the castle. "Thanks again for your hospitality. I really appreciate it!" With a two-fingered salute, Demyx turned and left the building. Once he was positive that no one could see him, he summoned a corridor of darkness and headed to the Castle that Never Was.

The face that met his was one belonging to a worried Axel. "Demyx, you do realize that Saïx is on the warpath, right?"

Demyx gulped. "Is he after me?"

Axel nodded. "And everyone else."

"Drat." The blond ran his fingers through his hair. ". . . So should I report to him or hide?"

"Either way, you're dead. When he did room check, I covered for you last night by saying that you were sick. I was only in front of your room 'cause I'd been making sure you weren't dead yet. You know how zonked out you get when you're sick."

Demyx grimaced. "Yeah, I get so tired and collapse wherever I am. That was a good excuse. Thanks!"

"Yeah. Just so you know, you owe me big time. It isn't easy to fool Saïx. Next time I'm in a pinch, help me out, okay?" The redhead rubbed the back of his neck. His gruffness was only a façade to hide the kindness he inevitably showed to his friends. "I'd probably just get it over with now. I mean, what can he do? Banish you from the castle?"

Demyx laughed nervously. His more active imagination had conjured up far worse ideas. "Y-yeah," he gulped. He straightened and walked into the White Room.

"Demyx!" Saïx thundered. "Where have you been?"

The Berserker was truly frightening to most Nobodies. Therefore, Demyx's inner terror was perfectly acceptable. "Uh, I was sick?" He reasoned out his guilt by telling himself that he had felt ill earlier.

"That is only an acceptable excuse for a short time. Continue to use it frequently and you will be like the Nobody who cried, 'Sora!' Do you understand?"

Demyx gulped. "Yes, sir." _What happens if I really get sick?_ he mused. "Do you have a mission for me?"

The taller Nobody nodded gravely and began to state the details of the mission.

~\•/~

When Demyx stepped out of the corridor of darkness, he was hit by a wave of sand. He groaned, "I always get so dehydrated in the world. Does Saïx hate me?" He pretended not to know the answer to that question. The Berserker had made his feelings (on non-feelings, as Saïx would surely say . . . just not in those exact words) on him quite clear. Demyx always had been, and would continue to be, a nuisance to the Organization. At least, that was what Saïx thought.

Demyx sighed at this deep retrospection. At least he had friends who cared for him! He told himself that he could endure anything (temperatures aside) if he kept his friends in mind. _Axel . . . What would Axel do? Well, I supposed Axel wouldn't be in this predicament. He doesn't mind heat at all. Hmm . . ._ Demyx groaned. The heat must be affecting his intelligence. He scampered to the shady area underneath the canopy of a store. "There! That's better!" He could hear his voice echo. "What was I supposed to do again?"

At once, a cry rang out. "This way!" a male voice exclaimed.

Demyx slowly approached the sound. He was just about to peer around the corner of the wall when something bumped into him. "Oof!" he grunted. When he looked down he saw the something. _Wait,_ two _somethings,_ he corrected. They appeared worried.

"I am so sorry, sir. Just let u—" He whipped his head around at the fast approaching company and blanched. "'Scuse us! We've got to go!" He tightened his grip on his companion's hand and bolted.

"Wha—?" Demyx cocked his head, puzzled. _What was that about?_ He harrumphed and crouched. He was curious now. The only way to find out would be to catch them. A burly hand at his shoulder made him turn away from the two. Just as he moved his head to see what had stopped him, the person belonging to that hand shoved him roughly.

"Get outter the way, boy!" The meaty guard sneered. He broke into a run.

Demyx, in the process of rising, found a barrel flying his way. He just barely dodged it. _I never thought I'd be thankful for that Dodge Roll move Axel taught me on my first mission!_ He hopped to his feet and raced up a flight of stairs. The nearest spot of shade was at least ten yards away. The Nobody felt like he was dying of heat exhaustion! He crawled all the way there and collapsed. All of his previous energy had been sapped by the heat and the exertion of running.


End file.
